Riverby was the estate of the American naturalist

John Burroughs John Burroughs (April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921) was an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the conservation movement in the United States. The first of his essay collections was ''Wake-Robin'' in 1871. In the words of his bi ...

(1837–1921), who wrote and created a genre of naturalist essays. It is located above the west bank of the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

, in the town of West Park, in

Ulster County, New York Ulster County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston, ...

. Burroughs built the main house and a separate study, where he did much of his most influential writing. The property was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1968. It is private property, still partially held by the Burroughs family, and is not open to the public.

Description and history

Riverby is an estate of about , set on the west bank of the Hudson River on the east side of

United States Route 9W U.S. Route 9W (US 9W) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins in Fort Lee, New Jersey, as Fletcher Avenue crosses the US 1/9, US 46, and Interstate 95 (I- ...

. The terrain is generally wooded, descending steeply through a series of terraces from the road to the river. The main house built by Burroughs is on the highest terrace, and is a three-story structure built out of stone. It was damaged by fire in 1947, and its interior has lost historic integrity. The study located on a lower terrace, is a roughly square frame structure finished in chestnut slabs whose exterior retains unpeeled bark. Other buildings on the property include a barn, summerhouse, and caretaker's cottage. John Burroughs bought a farm here in 1873, and added additional land later. In the study, which looks east over the Hudson River, Burroughs wrote ''Fresh Fields'' (1884), ''Signs and Seasons'' (1886), ''Indoor Studies'' (1889), and ''Riverby'' (1894), and he edited other works.

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

and many others visited Burroughs in the study. He also wrote in

Woodchuck Lodge Woodchuck Lodge is a historic house on Burroughs Memorial Road in a remote part of the western Catskills in Roxbury, New York. Built in the mid-19th century, it was the last home of naturalist and writer John Burroughs (1837–1921) from 1908, ...

, a lodge in Roxbury in the western Catskills of

Delaware County, New York Delaware County is a county located in the US state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,308. The county seat is Delhi. The county is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas Wes ...

, that he used from 1908 on, and

Slabsides Slabsides is the log cabin built by naturalist John Burroughs and his son on a nine-acre (3.6 ha) wooded and hilly tract in 1895 one mile (1.6 km) west of Riverby, his home in West Park, New York. From the time of its construction to the l ...

, a cabin one mile (1.6 km) west of Riverby that he used in summers from 1895 on. The property was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968, with only the study as a contributing element. The study is lined with books and, up to 1975 at least, had been preserved essentially as Burroughs left it. The home is maintained by the Burroughs Society. The collection of buildings on the estate has been split among his descendants, and they discourage visiting the site.Current description of property and emails from former resident

References

External links

'John Burroughs: Naturalist of West Park'

{{National Register of Historic Places Houses in Ulster County, New York National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Ulster County, New York Hudson River U.S. Route 9W Houses completed in 1881 1881 establishments in New York (state)

Description and history

See also

References

External links